Friday, February 25, 2011
Relics
Sometimes I keep things to remind myself that I really did live through a particular part of my life. Time and the mind can play tricks.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Freskada - Exton
The initial plan was to celebrate my birthday dinner at the Olive Tree Mediterranean Café, but since nobody got around to making reservations, we were not aware that because of the Valentines day holiday (two days away) they were serving a Prix Fix menu with no vegetarian options. So at 8:30 on a Saturday night, full of wine, where were we to go? The hostess suggested that their sister restaurant, Freskada, was serving their full menu. So off we went to Freskada.
I had avoided trying Freskada because it’s in one of those shopping centers that’s trying to look like an old school town center, where there would never be a Boarders, Bed Bath and Beyond, and a Baby’s R Us all clustered together…the new community. Traffic around this place is also usually a nightmare, and since there are so many other options for bookstores, pillows and diapers closer to home I’ve never bothered too much about the place.
We rolled in at about 9PM. There were still a few tables occupied (this is the suburbs, folks), but we were seated promptly and the server immediately brought glasses for our wine. We ordered the stuffed grape leaves and hummus with pita for starters. I for one was famished, since I’d only had a birthday latte from Starbucks that morning. Both appetizers were delicious and the pita just a tad warm. Dining companions ordered Penne Agora, a vegetarian pasta, and a chicken entrée. Our dining companions raved about their food, flavorful chicken, pasta in a light sauce with plenty of mushrooms. Mr. DS and I ordered the souvlaki, his with chicken, mine with lamb. Both were juicy, hot and delicious. He ordered fries with is sandwich which were crispy shoe-string style, just briny enough. My Greek salad was perfect, with just enough feta. Even though we were one of the last groups in the place, we were not rushed. We were offered desert, but we were returning home for birthday cake and tea.
The atmosphere at Fresakada is less cozy than Olive Tree, the floor plan is more open, surrounded on two sides by floor to ceiling windows and there is no booth seating. With the high ceilings and tile floor, I imagine the acoustics are terrible when there is a real crowd. However, the kitchen is open and you can see what’s going on, and it’s kind of fun if you’re sitting by a window to watch people wander around the shopping complex.
The most important thing is that the food was every bit as good as what I have come to expect from Olive Tree. Location not withstanding…Freskada is a gem!
I had avoided trying Freskada because it’s in one of those shopping centers that’s trying to look like an old school town center, where there would never be a Boarders, Bed Bath and Beyond, and a Baby’s R Us all clustered together…the new community. Traffic around this place is also usually a nightmare, and since there are so many other options for bookstores, pillows and diapers closer to home I’ve never bothered too much about the place.
We rolled in at about 9PM. There were still a few tables occupied (this is the suburbs, folks), but we were seated promptly and the server immediately brought glasses for our wine. We ordered the stuffed grape leaves and hummus with pita for starters. I for one was famished, since I’d only had a birthday latte from Starbucks that morning. Both appetizers were delicious and the pita just a tad warm. Dining companions ordered Penne Agora, a vegetarian pasta, and a chicken entrée. Our dining companions raved about their food, flavorful chicken, pasta in a light sauce with plenty of mushrooms. Mr. DS and I ordered the souvlaki, his with chicken, mine with lamb. Both were juicy, hot and delicious. He ordered fries with is sandwich which were crispy shoe-string style, just briny enough. My Greek salad was perfect, with just enough feta. Even though we were one of the last groups in the place, we were not rushed. We were offered desert, but we were returning home for birthday cake and tea.
The atmosphere at Fresakada is less cozy than Olive Tree, the floor plan is more open, surrounded on two sides by floor to ceiling windows and there is no booth seating. With the high ceilings and tile floor, I imagine the acoustics are terrible when there is a real crowd. However, the kitchen is open and you can see what’s going on, and it’s kind of fun if you’re sitting by a window to watch people wander around the shopping complex.
The most important thing is that the food was every bit as good as what I have come to expect from Olive Tree. Location not withstanding…Freskada is a gem!
Balance Spa and Salon - Lionville
Word of mouth brought me in; perfect brows at last will keep me coming back. One day over lunch, I noticed my friend’s terrific looking eyebrows. “Who did you?” I asked. Georgia at Balance, she “gets” the eyebrow thing. I can report to you that she does indeed “get” it. After the initial clean up wax, she took her time plucking me into perfectly groomed archness. I have naturally dark and wayward brows and at best, I was getting a neatening up at other places. Only once before at a salon in Princeton had anyone else taken by brows in hand and made them behave. I look like I just came off a two week vacation on the beach.
Chester County Paint and Design Company - Downingtown
This shop is located on the corners of Pennsylvania and Wallace Avenues. They have more fabric and wallpaper sample books than you can imagine. To some, this could be overwhelming; to others it’s a wonderful sea of options. The staff was helpful and able to locate samples based on the information that I gave them. They let me take a book home to live with a standard sample size and they followed up by phone to see how I was doing with the sample and inquire if I needed more. The other convenience is that since the paint store is right there, if you forgot your sample, it’s only a few steps away (assuming you went with Benjamin Moore).
What I wanted was a selection of fabrics and the labor to create what I wanted. My observation is that some of these home décor places seem to insist that they need to come out to my house to measure and “consult”. And maybe they have seen it all, but as someone who has lived in their house for 7 months and still has empty rooms, I don’t feel comfortable having strangers walking through. So when given the option of going with the vendor who insists on doing a home consultation (hear me J.C. Penney’s) and the vendor who will take my word that I know what I want, I will go with the vendor who will take my word. The consult is a nice option, but should not be required.
The other “complaint” is that the fabric prices were not competitive at all and in fact, they seemed to be charging full retail. I was able to source the fabric on the internet and in a local brick and mortar shop (not on Fabric Row) for significantly less (read $10 less) per yard. When I returned my sample book, I was honest about the reason I went with another vendor and they seemed surprised. With fabric so available on the internet, at JoFab and CalCo, the suppliers should be able to do a better job with price. I wasn’t looking at fabric from mills like Kravet (which they have), that you cannot get except through authorized retailers.
I think this vendor is worth consideration if you don’t know what is out there and the idea of trekking to Fabric Row leaves you considering buying off the rack from Target (not that there’s anything wrong with that). They have a lot of books to look at and a comfortable setting. If you’re fabric illiterate, they can explain the differences between fabrics, the magic of linings and pleats, and the differences and advantages between draw and stationary. If you don’t know what kind of window treatment you want, they could be a good resource, especially if the idea of a home consultation appeals to you. The good news is that once you do become a little educated about how things are made, it makes thrifting that much more satisfying – you know when you’re getting a deal on quality. The folks here are attentive and helpful. But the prices on fabric were not competitive, in my opinion.
What I wanted was a selection of fabrics and the labor to create what I wanted. My observation is that some of these home décor places seem to insist that they need to come out to my house to measure and “consult”. And maybe they have seen it all, but as someone who has lived in their house for 7 months and still has empty rooms, I don’t feel comfortable having strangers walking through. So when given the option of going with the vendor who insists on doing a home consultation (hear me J.C. Penney’s) and the vendor who will take my word that I know what I want, I will go with the vendor who will take my word. The consult is a nice option, but should not be required.
The other “complaint” is that the fabric prices were not competitive at all and in fact, they seemed to be charging full retail. I was able to source the fabric on the internet and in a local brick and mortar shop (not on Fabric Row) for significantly less (read $10 less) per yard. When I returned my sample book, I was honest about the reason I went with another vendor and they seemed surprised. With fabric so available on the internet, at JoFab and CalCo, the suppliers should be able to do a better job with price. I wasn’t looking at fabric from mills like Kravet (which they have), that you cannot get except through authorized retailers.
I think this vendor is worth consideration if you don’t know what is out there and the idea of trekking to Fabric Row leaves you considering buying off the rack from Target (not that there’s anything wrong with that). They have a lot of books to look at and a comfortable setting. If you’re fabric illiterate, they can explain the differences between fabrics, the magic of linings and pleats, and the differences and advantages between draw and stationary. If you don’t know what kind of window treatment you want, they could be a good resource, especially if the idea of a home consultation appeals to you. The good news is that once you do become a little educated about how things are made, it makes thrifting that much more satisfying – you know when you’re getting a deal on quality. The folks here are attentive and helpful. But the prices on fabric were not competitive, in my opinion.
Gfell Upholstery - Downingtown
Among the green crowd, the up-cyclers, the nostalgic and the picky, upholstery services are hot! Once considered a dying art, you may now find upholsterers advertising their services on Craig’s List and in home-improvement circulars that you get in the Sunday paper. We no longer have to hesitate to grab that auction find or thrift store gem or grandma’s beloved wing chair.
When I moved here, one of the first businesses I noticed was Gfell’s upholstery, across from the train station. The shop looked a little neglected. Was it still open? I checked, yes they were. I filed them away in the back of my mind for the inevitable day when I would bring my find to be redone.
I brought a side chair and my own fabric to Gfell’s and was greeted by Mr. Gfell, presumably. He looked at my chair and quoted me $120. Since I’ve never had anything upholstered, I have no idea if that was highway robbery or within the standard for the area. I handed over my chair and my fabric. He opened it up and we selected the area of the pattern he would use for the seat cushion. He told me it would take about two or three weeks. That seemed a long time to me, but the shop was full of furniture. He asked me to record my name, address and phone number in a spiral bound notebook and then he noted what I had brought in. It seemed like a flimsy way of keeping track, but I was not about to question his methods.
That was in early January. I came back 3 weeks later, and he sheepishly admitted that the chair was not done. Work had begun. The old fabric had been removed and there was new batting. He needed another week. Since there was no rush, I gave him two.
I returned on a Saturday afternoon. The chair was ready and it was beautiful. Between what I paid at auction for the chair, purchase of the fabric and the labor, I know I would not have gotten this chair for less in a store. I am very pleased with the work. It was a simple job, I know, but I have tried to re-cover chairs myself and I have made a ham-fisted botch of it. This was clearly a professional job and I was happy to pay a professional to do it. I think I will shop around the next time I have to redo something, just to be a better informed consumer. I am aware that there is another upholsterer in Philadelphia whose work is a few pennies more, but I can’t imagine schlepping to the city for something I can get in my own backyard, literally.
So do your homework, shop around for price, but do know that if you bring work to Gfell, you will not be disappointed.
Gfell’s is open Monday –Friday from 9-5 and Saturdays from 9-1. This is not Calico Corners, it's dusty and a little chaotic...I felt right at home. This is a craftsman who knows a thing or two about wrapping fabric around furniture as evidenced by some of the other challenging projects I saw sitting in the shop. He does not appear to take credit cards, but he cheerfully accepted my check. If you don’t have your own fabric, there are lots of sample books, but I can only imagine how much more time that would add to your order. Gfell’s is on Lancaster Ave., directly across from the Downingtown Train Station. There is convenient parking in the lot across the street and there is often street parking in front of the store.
When I moved here, one of the first businesses I noticed was Gfell’s upholstery, across from the train station. The shop looked a little neglected. Was it still open? I checked, yes they were. I filed them away in the back of my mind for the inevitable day when I would bring my find to be redone.
I brought a side chair and my own fabric to Gfell’s and was greeted by Mr. Gfell, presumably. He looked at my chair and quoted me $120. Since I’ve never had anything upholstered, I have no idea if that was highway robbery or within the standard for the area. I handed over my chair and my fabric. He opened it up and we selected the area of the pattern he would use for the seat cushion. He told me it would take about two or three weeks. That seemed a long time to me, but the shop was full of furniture. He asked me to record my name, address and phone number in a spiral bound notebook and then he noted what I had brought in. It seemed like a flimsy way of keeping track, but I was not about to question his methods.
That was in early January. I came back 3 weeks later, and he sheepishly admitted that the chair was not done. Work had begun. The old fabric had been removed and there was new batting. He needed another week. Since there was no rush, I gave him two.
I returned on a Saturday afternoon. The chair was ready and it was beautiful. Between what I paid at auction for the chair, purchase of the fabric and the labor, I know I would not have gotten this chair for less in a store. I am very pleased with the work. It was a simple job, I know, but I have tried to re-cover chairs myself and I have made a ham-fisted botch of it. This was clearly a professional job and I was happy to pay a professional to do it. I think I will shop around the next time I have to redo something, just to be a better informed consumer. I am aware that there is another upholsterer in Philadelphia whose work is a few pennies more, but I can’t imagine schlepping to the city for something I can get in my own backyard, literally.
So do your homework, shop around for price, but do know that if you bring work to Gfell, you will not be disappointed.
Gfell’s is open Monday –Friday from 9-5 and Saturdays from 9-1. This is not Calico Corners, it's dusty and a little chaotic...I felt right at home. This is a craftsman who knows a thing or two about wrapping fabric around furniture as evidenced by some of the other challenging projects I saw sitting in the shop. He does not appear to take credit cards, but he cheerfully accepted my check. If you don’t have your own fabric, there are lots of sample books, but I can only imagine how much more time that would add to your order. Gfell’s is on Lancaster Ave., directly across from the Downingtown Train Station. There is convenient parking in the lot across the street and there is often street parking in front of the store.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
